On the radar
At ISP, our parent talks are part of our future pathways and careers offering. These free webinars, delivered by experts in their fields, are aimed at our school communities around the world. The goal is to help ISP parents and carers support their children to make informed decisions about their next steps after school life.
Our first series of workshops for 2024 have been focused on how parents and carers can support young children – from the ages of three to nine – as they start to explore the world of work. Each session has links to our ISP life competencies – the key life skills we have identified as being crucial for students to thrive at school and beyond.
We caught up with Jo Fretwell, Head of Learning Partnerships at ISP, to hear more about the talks and what parents can look forward to.
“Our 2024 series of talks so far have highlighted to me that even at a very young age, we as parents and carers can support our children to think about their future. By using age-appropriate techniques as simple as play, we can sensitively help children to start to explore the world of work. As they begin to identify and pursue their passions and skillsets, we can help them develop an understanding of possible careers through fostering their curiosity and creativity. I would like to give huge thanks to all of our expert speakers, and to all the parents and carers who have joined us so far. I’m very much looking forward to our final talk in the series, coming up on 12 March!”
You can find the registration links for the final talk of this series at the bottom of this article.
Fostering creativity with Dr. Kimberly Howard
In our January session, Dr. Kimberly Howard, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development at Boston University, explored how we can foster creativity in younger children. For example, how we can support children to use their imagination to explore careers they can see, and use play to explore less visible occupations.
Dr. Howard highlighted a few techniques we can use, such as:
- Ensure we are listening carefully to our children and meeting their individual needs.
- Encouraging their curiosity in our day-to-day lives by engaging them in conversation about the world around them.
- Using imagination and fantasy to help children understand the world of work.
Download the transcript (PDF – 34 KB)
Inspiring curiosity with Dr. Coco Wong
In our February session, Dr. Coco Wong, co-founder of CEO Kids International and global chair of G100 Leadership and Entrepreneurial Education Wing, shared her journey of empowering her two daughters to explore entrepreneurship through identifying and making use of their own skillsets.
Dr. Wong explored the following ways to foster curiosity in children as they explore their skills and what they are good at:
- Give your children real-life experiences – take them to work, meet CEOs, immerse them in the real world.
- Encourage discussions and ask your child for their thoughts, and guide them rather than instruct them.
- Help your child look for lessons everywhere, and encourage them to observe everything.
- Avoid stifling your child’s passion and getting too excited about their talents and interests – let them enjoy the discoveries and explorations at their own pace.
Download the transcript (PDF – 34 KB)
Supporting critical thinking with Danny LaBrecque
Our next talk is coming up on 12 March, led by Danny LaBrecque, creator and host of a preschool TV series and expert in the language of play. Danny will share insight about sensitive and caring ways to support children’s play to empower them to think critically about themselves and their futures. Danny “Danny Joe” LaBrecque has been in the field of early childhood development for over 20 years. He studied Behavioral Development with an Early Childhood Development focus at National Louis University in Chicago and he has served as a preschool teacher, and curriculum developer for early childhood programmes. During his time at the Education Department of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, he helped to create and maintain the Crown Family PlayLab, an early learning space within the museum.
Later, Danny became the creator and host of the preschool series Danny Joe’s Tree House. Based on retro children’s TV classics, the programme responds to the social-emotional needs of today’s families. Danny Joe, the host, is a preschool teacher who cares deeply about helping kids work through big thoughts, ideas, and feelings. strategies for self-regulation, communication, caring for oneself, and acceptance of others.
Download the transcript (PDF – 35,1 KB)
If you are a parent or carer of an ISP student aged three to nine, you can register for this talk according to your region:
If you would like access to recordings of our past talks, please contact your ISP school.